Whoa, whoa, whoa…a title like this is enough to make any casual athlete groan. The article states that the “physiological parameters that characterize human capabilities (mobility, reproduction or the capacity to perform tasks) evolve throughout the life cycle.” Apparently, they believe that both physical and intellectual abilities begin when you are conceived, and the performance of each of us is determined at birth. Then we grow old, they peak at a certain age and then decline before we die. Thanks for the pick-me up – I feel better already.

The study goes on to say that there is a relationship between changes in performance and how old we are. This simple idea did not strike me as anything new. We’re born, our abilities evolve, we grow old, they decline. But what shocked me even more was the age call-outs at which our performance is supposed to peak.

“This peak is reached at the age of 26.1 years for the disciplines studied: athletics (26.0 years), swimming (21.0 years) and chess (31.4 years).” Damn it, if only I played chess I’d have a few more good years left in me. To top it all off, they said that the decline in abilities is IRREVERSIBLE. As a young woman who is approaching her birthday in August and will apparently be reaching my “peak,” this study was a bit disheartening. Over the past year, I’ve felt that I am just now coming into what I’m capable of and am looking forward to improving those abilities for many more years to come.

Am I jealous that Chicken Face got to see Paula Radcliffe sprint to the finish at the NYC marathon and snap this pic? Maybe.

When I re-tweeted the article, many folks replied with equal fear and disdain. “What about Dana Tores, Paula Radcliffe, Kara Goucher?!” Were they just born with magical biological abilities? Then I stumbled upon this NYT article (albeit, it’s from 2008): Elite Women Getting Older, and Better. While the article does have one race director thinking the aging group of elite female runners is a “fluke,” the article goes on to state, “To some, the current wave of older women succeeding in marathons makes sense. More women are running the distance these days, they say, so more they are training at a higher level…More women are also sticking with the marathon because of the economic incentive”.”

Even the NYT had researchers predict peak performance ages, “…sprinters peaked at 22 to 24, and marathoners peaked at 28 to 31. Some marathoners reach peak performance around 35, he added. The trick is finding the way to extend that time frame…The slow-twitch muscles needed in endurance sports do not decline significantly until athletes reach their late 30s or early 40s…But fast-twitch muscles that sprinters rely on begin deteriorating in their late 20s and early 30s.”

I do believe that over time our bodies will begin to wear down and we will not be able to perform as we once did. It’s a simple fact of life. However, I do not believe that once we hit 26, we irreversibly are doomed. I know plenty of people who are in better share then they ever were when they were running in their 20s.

Do you think that this decline is IRREVERSIBLE? Do you think that elite athletes can sustain their running mojo longer than casual athletes? What are your two cents on this striking new study?

Comments

Ohh man that’s a little depressing. Good thing I still might have a few years left until I peak in the marathon, though! I would guess elite athletes, because they train at such a high level and have entire teams of people (nutritionists, massage therapists, orthopedists, etc) working to keep them fit, can sustain high levels a little longer than the average recreational athlete.

Reading this makes me sad, I didnt start running until last year, but assuming I’m only competing with myself, I think I still have lots of room for improvement. Look at the Dipsea race winner Jamie River, she’s 60 yearsnold! Granted, she did get a 20 min head start because of age handicap… That is still an amazing victory!!http://www.dipsea.org/2011/

I don’t beleieve that. There is a woman in my running club who ran her fastest mile time at age 50 and she ran a 5 minute mile. So I don’t think its true. I think with the right coaching you can run fast! Its all about genes and talent and stuff we can’t control but I know a lot of people (all the older ppl in my running club) who haven’t slowed down. even my coach who is 62 still races with me, its slower than he used to be but he is still pretty fast!

I am in my 30’s and still getting faster. There are plenty of fast racers out there still who are past 35, and doing well. This article is interesting information, however, good training will let you keep running…

Meh. Stupid article. I’d let it get me down if I was perhaps and elite runner. However I am only an average ole slow runner so I’ll take comfort in that the more I give the more I’ll get. And if I’m still running at age 40, 50, 60 and beyond than that is a success to me!

I agree with Kimi. Running is not my entire life and I do it for enjoyment and to stay healthy. Having said that, I’m 41 and my last half marathon was my fastest. I also started trying marathons and hope to PR at my next. It’s fun to look at Athlinks and see my improvement over the past 11 years. Don’t fret, guys!

I think that for non-elite athletes, we’re on a different place in our athletic potential curve than elites. Elite athletes are constantly pushing up against a plateau, where world records are made by seconds and fractions of a second. As Cate said, they have entire teams of people working with them to help them achieve their goals. It’s not surprising that this level of effort isn’t sustainable forever. For non-elite athletes, I don’t think we’re always operating right on the edge of our potential curve. We can make huge gains with different training styles, different nutritional schemes, different recovery routines, and I believe these gains can help us improve well past the age of 31. It’s not surprising to me that your body can’t continue to run a 2:15 marathon for years and years, but I think for those of us not running world record paces, we can continue to improve our marathon times with dedication and effort, regardless of age.

Great post! The whole “reaching your peak at 26” thing bums me out a bit since I’ll be 27 in Sept, but it IS encouraging to see women still running and racing strong marathons in their 30’s and 40’s. Part of the reason why I’m taking a break from the marathon right now is to focus on 10ks and halves – my plan is to return to 26.2 with vengeance once I turn 30 🙂

rubbish! i’m so much faster now than i was in my 20’s- maybe i could have been faster then if i’d tried, but i ran my first marathon when i was 26 in 5:09:14. i ran my 2nd marathon at 35 and finished in 3:59:43. my PR was in my 3rd marathon at 3:52:23 (I was 36). i’ve also recovered faster which probably has more to do with better training, but it flies in the face of the suggestion that it’s irreversable. 🙂

Super interesting…and depressing!! I know our bodies break down as we age (especially if we continue to put it under a lot of stress, like you do when you’re constantly in training for something) but I refuse to believe I’ve already peaked – though if only I had known this a few months earlier – I might have made a little more out of my last few months as a 26 year old! hahaha. I guess we’ll see this next year. If I start getting slower again, then we’ll know…

In all seriousness, I think that the study should be taken with a grain of salt. If you keep training well, I don’t see any reason why you can’t keep getting faster. I know that your body will break down eventually, but the amount of really great female runners in their 30s gives me hope.

Great post! I’m mainly with Beth above, though I pretty much agree with everyone on here. It is very difficult for the elite runner to hold their performance at the exact same level for a long time. Seems like they are always running at or near peak performance, so any degrading of their bodies due to aging probably will hurt them the most. But some athletes simply train smarter and probably use better training techniques to run even faster as they get older.

Gebrselassie is a great example – he is the world record holder in the marathon, and I think he set it when he was 36 years old. Granted he might be losing a bit of his pure speed (which is why he seems to focus on the marathon now), but he is an insanely fast runner.

For non elite runners, I think it somewhat depends on where you are in the running cycle – whether you just started running, have been running forever or just got back to running. If you have been running forever using good training techniques, it might be tough to reach your times that you posted 10 years ago. If you just started running, your potential is still around the corner. Training smarter can possibly overcome the problems of aging, as you know your body better and how to get it to perform its best.

I think that peaking may result at the ages they gave if you were training from early on, but many of us do not train for peak performance (because you know…we have jobs that don’t involve being paid to run), so we are not necessarily at our top performance! Who knows what that might be…I would certainly run faster if I didn’t have to play nurse as a full time job! Or if I had someone telling me what to eat and how to run.

I’m hoping I haven’t reached my peak…Although I did PR at age 26. I guess we’ll find out in a few months!!